Love your current speakers but want Alexa? Here comes the Amazon Echo Input to solve that problem whilst still keeping the voice recognition more and more of us are getting used to.
Just as the name “Input” implies its designed to be connected into your existing system via the handy 3.5mm output or even via Bluetooth if you feel so inclined. With this 3.5mm output you can essentially connect into any Hi-Fi or AV system using their 3.5mm input, or if they don’t have that use the easily found 3.5mm to RCA if your unit only has RCA inputs. This not only solves the problem of an old amp not having streaming ability but also allows you to combine it with any existing Amazon Echo speakers you have via the multi-room functionality.
You can also connect into any Bluetooth speaker you have. Unfortunately it doesn’t work on all Bluetooth speakers so you’ll have to check the list to make sure that yours can connect up – this isn’t an issue if the speaker has a 3.5mm or RCA input but be aware of compatibility issues if you do decide to buy. There are also issues with delay via the Bluetooth and so the cabled connection would be the way to ensure a flawless connection.
The Amazon Echo Input is also available in white
On top of Bluetooth out, it also has Bluetooth in so you can easily connect any Bluetooth capable device to it with the touch of a button if you want to skip the app control, this is great but again beware that the Echo Input can only do either Bluetooth in or out at any given time so you cant Bluetooth into the device and then out into a Bluetooth speaker.
It goes without saying that it has the same Alexa voice control that all other Echo devices has and so works just as well as all the others meaning you still get to shout “Alexa” across the room and get it to play all of your favourite songs. It also means you can tie it into a multitude of home automation systems such as Nest, Hive and Philips Hue so you can tell it to do such things as dim your lights or heat up a room without ever lifting a finger. It also works with third party Alexa Skills so you can do the usual stuff like asking it the weather or getting it to pull up a great recipe for ramen from Jamie Oliver, these are all things you expect but its good to know that these haven’t been stripped away for the smaller and cheaper Echo component.
In my opinion the Amazon Echo System is one of the best when it comes to app control and voice recognition so to have that and be able to connect it into a traditional stereo system that will sound better than the actual Echo speakers is a no brainer if you want to move into the interconnected streaming and home automation world. Get in touch with your local store to arrange a demo!
Click to find out more about the Amazon Echo Input.
Author: Hal, Plymouth store
